Shapeless
by PsychLuva
Summary: Trace Malcom just wants to be left alone. But with a power as great as her's that might not be possible.  I started this a year ago, and I'm not sure where it fits into the storyline of the books. Maybe it doesn't.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys its Psychluva! I get really bored righting long stories so make sure you comment or I'll forget to write!**

The Human Crew was getting on her nerves. They were so childish, acting out of the jealousy that they had for the "mutants." She hated that name. It was created for the soul purpose of causing hurt in others. That was why she did her best to stay out of the way. She went to the meetings, but never sided with Sam or Zil. There was no reason to draw attention to herself. A sudden knock at the door made her jump.

"Trace! Open up!" It was Zil. If she wanted to keep her door intact, she should probably let him in.

"What is it?" She asked, sweetly, but with a hint of impatience.

"It's time to pick a side, Trace. Are you a mutant, or a normal?"

"Neither. Leave me alone Zil." Trace slammed the door in his face. A minute later the door began to shake. It cracked open as Zil and his buddies cracked it open one final time.

"Sorry Trace, but that isn't an option. Guys, grab her." Two of Zil's goons grabbed her arms and hauled her out to the truck.

"Zil, come on man. This isn't cool. Put me down. Put me down!" Trace screamed and kicked her captors. But nothing worked. They would not let go. She called and hollered at Zil but he just ignored her cries.

"See Trace? I told you I would get revenge. Maybe you should have been nicer, huh?" When Zil and Trace had been in school together, Zil had had a huge crush on her. Then again, so did most people. But no matter how hard he tried to impress her, she always pushed him away. She found it quite funny that he and Lance were friends, because for a while, she and Lance were dating. But now not even Lance would help her. If only there was another way, she would gladly take it. But of coarse she knew there wouldn't be. Trace closed her eyes to shield them from the bright light. When she opened them again, Turk and Antoine were no longer holding on to a small teenage girl, but instead a huge, ferocious, tiger.

"Sam! Sam!" Edillo called out to his friend.

Sam look tired. "What is it this time?"

"A new mutant has been found-" Sam interrupted him.

"First of all, great. Glad to hear it. But that doesn't concern me, and I'd like to know why I just had to know that? Second of all, don't call them mutants."

Edillo apologized. "But Sam, this newly developed power is greater than anything we've seen before- ever."

Even though he didn't want to admit it, Sam was intrigued. "Well don't just stand there, tell me what it is!"

Edillo lowered his voice. "Trace Malcolm has the power to shape shift."

Sam's jaw dropped. "But that means..."

"Yeah. She can be as small as a germ, or as big as the moon. Soft as a bunny, or in today's case, fierce as tiger."

"She turned into a tiger?" Edillo shot him a look like, 'Would I really joke about this?'

"I guess so. We need to get to her before Caine does. "

"And you're sure about this?" Caine asked Bug. "She can really shape shift?"

"Definitely." Bug replied. "I saw it myself."

"Hmm," Caine drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair. "Drake, why don't you go get our friend and have a little talk with her."

Drake smiled his malevolent smile and flexed his whip. "Sure thing boss, but I'm going to need some insurance. Maybe an incentive to keep our little friend from changing into a fly and buzzing off?"

"Whatever you need to do."

"Great." Drake walked out to the garage and chose a black Mercedes, and drove out to Perdido beach. As he was on his way there, He ran into Zil. Zil opened his mouth to warn the town, but Drake coiled his whip around Zil's neck, and kept him from talking. "If you want to live, tell me where I can find little Tracey Malcolm?" It probably took most of his strength, but Zil finally managed to choke out her address.

"Man I wish you hadn't cooperated. Do you know how long it's been since Caine let me hurt somebody? Oh well, I'm in a hurry so I guess you're safe. But be warned, I will be back." Drake retreated his whip and got back in his car and drove off. He eventually got to her house. It was small, but surrounded by acres of land. It was so quiet and serene, Drake almost considered knocking. Almost. Instead he barged his way in through the already broken door, and looked around. Everything was too quiet. She must've heard him come in and hidden. But that was fine with Drake; he always enjoyed a little game of cat and mouse.

He walked into the den and checked all the corners. Not there. He went into the kitchen and checked all the cupboards. Not there. At first, Drake assumed she was taking the form of a small insect, but then he remembered Bug telling them that he saw a bright flash when she changed. He would have noticed a light like that. In the family room Drake noticed a picture of a small boy. I've got my insurance he thought.

He climbed the stairs and entered the first bedroom he came to. It was large, most likely the master bedroom where the parents slept. Drake stood quiet, not making a sound, but hearing one. It was a slight whimpering noise. Gotcha. He checked under the bed, but she wasn't there. He looked in the closet, but it was empty, other than a few worn clothes. Drake was about to think he had imagined the noise when he saw a small foot behind the bedside table.

Drake smiled and crept up behind her. "Boo!" he said, causing her to scream and leap to her feet. She started to glow, but he smacked her hard, disrupting her focus. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," Drake said. "If you even think about shifting, I will hunt down everyone you love and make sure you never see them again. In fact no one will. Starting with him." Drake held up the picture of her little brother. "Got it?" Trace nodded her head weakly. "Good. Now come with me."

Instead of obliging, Trace planted her feet in the ground and did her best to look brave. "I'm not coming with you."

Drake laughed. "Oh you're funny. What, are you scared of me? Don't think I'll treat you well? Well I'll have you know that I am quite the gentleman. And a poet. Should I recite one of my favorite poems? Here goes. Roses are red, violets are blue. I've got a gun, get in the van!" he snarled. "And yes, you should be afraid."


	2. Chapter 2

Scared out of her mind, Trace did as he told. She let him shove her into the van, and she was careful not to make a sound. But suddenly, the silence infuriated her.

"His name is Jacob." She said, her voice quavering only slightly.

"Whose, and why do I care?"

"My brother's! The one you threatened to kill! He's five years old and he loves baseball! You should know at least something about a person before you even think about harming them!"

"Well look who decided to get feisty. Maybe this will change your attitude." He pulled over and whipped her, hard. Trace's back was hurting so bad, the thing that hurt least was to lay down and not move. And even that was too painful to bear. Eventually the car came to a stop.

"Get out." Drake ordered. Trace tried, but found she couldn't move. "Get out!" Drake ordered, even more impatient. But she couldn't. Drake looked like he really wanted to hurt her. Then to figures appeared next to Drake. Trace recognized one of them as Caine, but she was unfamiliar with the other.

"I am Caine, as you may have guessed, and this is my friend Bree. Bree, say hello."

The girl nodded. "Hello Tracey."

Caine went on. "Bree will be taking care of you, patching you up. I assure you, it was not the plan for you to be hurt." He glared and Drake.

"Tracey, why don't you come with me for a warm shower and meal?" Bree helped her get up and walk over to the shower. It felt so good to wash off the dirt. At least somebody cared enough to help her. Trace decided that she liked Bree. Caine only pretended to care, most likely because he wanted something from her. Why else would she be here? suddenly the water turned off, and Bree came into the room.

"Sorry about that," she said. "We only have so much water to spare. Take this towel and dry off. When you are ready, I will take you to your room to get on some nice dry clothes." Bree turned and left the room. She walked down the corridor, and ran into Caine.

"Good, you are just the person I was looking for." She said.

"What do you need?" Caine asked, impatiently.

"What room do I put Trace in?"

"Put her in the interview room with the mirror thing."

"Alright." The interview room was where parents met with the counselors to discus why their child needed to go to Coates Academy. There was a two way mirror where on the inside, it worked as a mirror, but on the outside, it was a window. It was the sort of thing that cops had in interrogation rooms.

She walked into the room, and put down some fresh clothes for Trace to wear. There was a bed, dresser, and lamp already in the room. Caine must've called some people to move the furniture. She picked up the blindfold that Caine had left her on the dresser and went back to get Trace.

The shower had been so nice. The first time she had felt content since the whole FAYZ thing. As Trace dried up all the water droplets on her skin, she tried to think of a single time she had done something fun during the FAYZ. At first, it all seemed like a joke, being irresponsible, not caring, partying. But then reality hit, and they realized this was not just temporary. This was real. After that, Trace decided to stop and become a parent to Jacob. He was only four years old when the parents disappeared. It was so hard to explain why Mommy and Daddy weren't there for his birthday. The thought brought tears to her eyes.

Suddenly the door swung open. "Are you alright?" Caine asked.

Trace, startled, quickly covered herself with the towel and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Caine! uh, yeah, I'm alright. What's up?"

"I wanted to make sure you were alright. I saw you crying and I was worried."

"Well I'm fine. Wait a second, you saw me crying? Were you spying on me?"

Caine stuttered. "Uh, I-I- uh... Wait- You are my prisoner! Of coarse I was spying." Caine struck her across the cheek. "I'd like to keep things civil between us but remember where you stand." Caine stormed out of the room, fuming.

Trace stood up and began to dress in the clothes that Bree had laid out for her. They were a bit big, but she was used to that. She was a small person, only five foot two. She sat on the bed, unaware of what to do. For a minute she contemplated changing into a bug and flying to Jacob, but then she realized she couldn't. Even if she protected him, Drake would go after everyone else, her friends, cousins, neighbors, anyone she had ever met, until one day when she let her guard down he would even get Jacob. No, she couldn't do that. Better to sacrifice her self then make everyone else suffer.

The door creaked open, and Drake walked in cracking his whip. "Miss me?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry, I know it's been over a year since I last posted, but I'm ADD and I got bored. I don't really want to bother writing if no one wants likes it, so if you do, pleeaaaase let me know. :)**

**Also I always welcome constructive criticism. I know I'm not the best :P**

"Drake!" she was obviously startled. It took a few seconds to catch her breath. "what do you want?"

"Who says I want something? Maybe I just want to...chat." Drake flashed a coy grin and cracked his whip. Trace was scared, and her fear thrilled Drake. There were so many things he could make her do, so many things, but the 'fearless leader' wouldn't let him. Caine insisted that the girl would not be severely harmed. Severely. Drake smiled at the word. Caine had sent drake in to make Tracey feel desperate, to make her need Caine, to make her more, agreeable.

Drake smiled. "You and I are going to have a little fun." He advanced farther into the room, making Tracey back up into the corner.

"Caine...Caine said you weren't allowed to hurt me!" Trace said, scared.

"Caine doesn't know I'm here." Drake lied. He lashed out his whip, and it sliced through the skin on her back. Tracey cried out in pain. Her new shirt was ripped in the back, ruined. Drake cracked his whip again, this time slicing her chest, just below her neck. Tracey dropped to her knees, begging him to stop. Drake just laughed.

I could kill him, she thought. I could do it. But then Caine would kill everyone I ever loved. He would kill Hunter.

After Tracey had broken up with Lance, she and Hunter had become close. But it was more than just close. Just being around him made her smile. He could make her laugh like no one else. All she wanted was just to be with him, be near him. But ever since his brain damage, some times he couldn't speak to her, or even recognize her, and it was all Zill's fault. She hated him for it. Maybe she could never be with Hunter ever again, but she still loved him more than anything. Zill ruined Hunter's life, and even though it wasn't much, Tracey couldn't let Drake take it from him. She couldn't let Drake take what was left. Not away from her.

Drake whipped Tracey over and over, but Tracey tried to stay strong. She cried out, but did not sob. She could not give Drake the satisfaction. She would not. After a while, a red haze clouded her vision, and Tracey's world went dark. 

When Trace woke up, she was chained to a bedpost, covered in gashes. Her clothing was gone, probably fell off with all the rips. Caine was sitting in one of the plush chairs across the room.

"...how long was I out?" Trace asked meekly.

"You mean since the first time, or the most recent?" Caine asked.

"I don't... I don't understand."

"You really don't remember. Drake attacked you about a month ago. You were out for about two weeks. We were worried he'd killed you. After that you started slipping in and out of consciousness, never remembering anything from the last time you woke up. Although, we did learn a few things about you, Diana managed to get a read on you. Congratulations, you're a four bar."

"But I thought-"

"That Sam and I were the only ones?" Caine finished. "So did I. Apparently not. But with a power as great as shape shifting, I'm not that surprised."

Tracey looked almost pleased. For once in her life, she was special.

"One more thing." Caine added. "You're having a baby."


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi everyone. I know this chapter was short, but long chapters bore me. I don't know if anyone is reading these, but if you are, a review would be nice. **

"What?!" Tracey asked, her eyes full of disbelief. "That isn't possible! I didn't... I wouldn't!" Her eyes widened. "You don't mean..."

Caine chuckled. "Don't worry. Zil isn't the father. Yeah I know all about what he did to you. And I know that that's how you discovered your abilities."

"But if Zil isn't the father, then I can't possibly be pregnant. I've never done it with anyone else, and I didn't even want to do it with Zil! He made me! There's no way!"

"I'm hurt!" Caine said, with mock sincerity. "Am I really that forgettable?"

"Are you trying to tell me that you're-"

"-the father?" Caine interjected. "Guilty." Caine was grinning, but he stopped when he saw the horrified look on her face. "Relax Trace. I didn't do anything to you against your will, we had a deal."

Confusion was written all over Tracey's face.

"Since you obviously don't remember the details of our agreement, let me refresh your memory. I need a child, an 'heir' if you will, so that one day, when I rule this place, I can have someone to share this with. The thing is, I want my child to have extraordinary powers like I do. Originally I planned to have this child with Diana, but here's the thing. Diana's powers aren't that great. What if the baby had powers like hers, and not mine? But then you came along, and it was like an answer to my prayers. It doesn't matter who the baby takes after, it's powers will be amazing."

"Never pictured you as the Daddy type. Or are you just planning to use this child for some personal gain?" Trace interrupted.

Caine mocked a look of offense. "believe it or not, I do have a heart. Who knows how long the Fayz is going to last? We might be stuck here, and I want to be alive long enough to raise a kid. What if I wait too long, and I die before I can raise them? The sooner I do this, the better our chances are."

"Wow, that's... actually really sweet." Trace admitted, causing Caine to look embarrassed. He started to argue, but she cut him off. "Sweet or not Caine, I wouldn't have agreed to that. Even if your intentions are 'noble.' Why did I agree? Did I even agree? How do I know you aren't lying to me?!"

"I promised you that I would never let Drake lay a hand -or whip- on you ever again. It might not seem like a fair deal now, but think back to a month ago. Do you remember how much pain you were in? Do you remember how close to death you were? So I promised you protection and you promised me a baby."

"What if I were to refuse?" Trace questioned.

"Let's just say Drake has been bugging me for something new to play with." Caine grinned at the look of sheer horror that had crossed Tracey's face. "Relax. You agreed to my deal, so nothing bad is going to happen to you."

There was a sudden pounding at the door. Caine, clearly annoyed, unlocked and opened it. There was a loud thwack and Caine crumpled to the floor. A tall, handsome boy with muscular arms was standing over him with a two-by-four.

"Sam?" she asked.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys, here's the thing. I started this a while back, but I'm not sure what book I had just finished reading, so I don't know certain details, like whether Lana was around or not. Also, as much as it pains me, I don't think the gaiaphage will exist in my storyline. It's just to confusing to me to be able to write about, sorry. :(**

Sam held out his hand. "We don't have much time," he whispered. "Come with me." Tracey grabbed his hand and ran with him down the hallway, letting him guide her. They made a right turn, only to find Drake waiting for them.

"Going somewhere?" Drake asked. His eyes shone with malevolence. Drake raised his whip with the intent of bringing it down on Sam, but Tracey was faster. She tackled Sam to the floor, causing Drake to miss his target. Instead, he ended up slicing Trace in the arm. It wasn't the worst pain Drake had ever inflicted on Tracey, and she quickly forgot about it. She was more concerned with that fact that Drake was about to strike again.

Drake laughed maniacally. He looked right into Sam's eyes. "You have no idea how long I've been waiting to do this." He raised his whip, but instead of striking, he toppled over, his body spazzing out on the floor. Brianna was standing behind him with a taser.

Sam stood over him. "You really don't think I'm stupid enough to come here alone, do you?!" He turned to Brianna. "Where did you possibly get that?" he asked her.

Brianna laughed. "Sam, if I told people where I got things, I would have nothing." and she left it at that.

Sam shrugged, but was still visibly concerned. "Whatever. We'd better get a move on." He turned to Tracey. "Hey thanks for saving my life back there. I know Drake would've killed me."

Trace tried to reply, but all of the sudden she felt very light headed, and was having trouble staying upright. She reached out to the walls to find something to hold her up, but found nothing, and slumped to her knees."

"What's wrong?" Sam asked. "Oh geez Brianna look at this gash! She must be loosing an awful lot of blood!"

"We need to find something to stop the bleeding." said Brianna.

Sam took off the shirt he was wearing, ripped it in half, and tied it around the cut. "That outta do it." He said. "We've got to get moving, but Tracey's too weak to walk. I guess I could carry her, she can't possibly weigh very much." So he picked her up and carried her in his arms. It would have been romantic if he wasn't more concerned with getting her out alive. Sam didn't have time for romance. Besides, he had Astrid.

"There it is," Brianna said. "That's the way out. Dekka promised she would meet us outside. I'm sure she's there now."

Sam kept looking over his shoulder expecting someone to pop out and try to kill them. He knew that Brianna and Dekka took care of all the kids that were guarding this place, and apparently they did a very good and thorough job. They were out of the building now- Coates Academy that is- and on their way back to the church where Sam had set up camp. There he could protect her and see to it that she regains her health. He only hoped he wasn't too late. The shirt Sam had used to tie up the cut was now soaked in blood, and Trace had fallen unconscious.

When they reached the church, Sam laid her down on a makeshift bed they had created, next to a battery operated fan. "Find someone to take care of her!" he ordered, then added a "please." He sat down next to her and held her hand as people rushed back and fourth, rapping and changing her bandages.

For the first time, he got a good look at her. He had to admit, she was pretty. They had gone to school together, but they still didn't really know each other. She was popular, he was not. But even though he didn't know her very well, he had a sort of respect for her. She was popular, but not in the stereotypical way. She wasn't popular because she was the prettiest girl in school, which by the way, she wasn't. People liked her because she was nice. She didn't go around making fun of other girls, she didn't act like a whore to impress guys. Guys wanted to date her because she wanted to do what they wanted to do. Play sports, video games, or just hang out.

That was partially why she hung out with Zil, Hunter, Lance, and the rest. She was just as crazy about football as they were, though she was even crazier about hockey. Hockey, that was her sport, and she was pretty good.

Tracey was popular, but not for her looks. Her face had a soft subtle beauty, not a striking one, like say, Diana. She didn't wear much makeup either, but then again, Sam wasn't exactly an expert on that sort of thing. But even if she wasn't drop dead gorgeous, she was still very pretty.

Suddenly Sam saw himself thinking more and more about her. _Stop it man, you've got a girlfriend! _he thought to himself. But as much as he loved Astrid, he knew they were becoming further and further apart. She always got mad at him for unfair reasons, and even though he knew it wasn't his fault she had him begging for forgiveness. Sam hated Astrid, but still, he loved her.

_And anyways_, he thought to himself, _she's in love with Hunter, not me. So it doesn't matter._ He heard a soft moan, and saw Tracey's eyes flutter open. She was out for over an hour, but now she was coming around.

"Where am I?" he heard her say.


	6. Chapter 6

Tracey tried to sit up, but despite her intentions, she was only upright for a few moments before having to lay back down. At first Tracey was confused. Her vision was blurry and at first she was unsure of where she was. But as time passed, her vision cleared up and she recognized the old church building that she used to visit so often before the FAYZ. The building, which had once held so many happy memories, now looked sad and dilapidated.

Sam was still holding Tracey's hand. She turned to him with a look of despair in her eyes. Trace was weak and she knew it, and she didn't like it. "Why?" was all she asked him.

Sam was confused. "Why did Drake cut you? It was because we-"

"-no." Trace cut him off. "Not what I meant. Why did you 'rescue' me? Now Caine and Drake are going to come after everyone that I love! If they get hurt it would be because of me and I couldn't live with myself if that happened!" Trace was starting to get worked up and Sam was worried she would make the situation worse. He needed her to stay calm.

"First of all, Tracey I need you to take a deep breath. Good. I don't want you to worry, we have people keeping an eye on Drake and Caine, and if they go near anyone they shouldn't, we'll know about it and be able to stop them. As for your friends and family, we have people keeping an eye on them too, making sure that they're safe. Don't worry, we do know what we're doing."

Tracey breathed a sigh of relief. "But Sam, how did you know that I needed to be rescued?"

"There's a girl at Coates who works for Caine, her name is Bree. Originally she had been told that Caine was going to talk with you only. But she overheard Caine asking Drake to whip you to the point where you where at the brink of death, so that he could scare you into making a deal with him. Bree heard the screaming, but didn't want to make an enemy out of Caine, so she said nothing. However, recently when she learned the terms of his little, 'deal', she felt she had to act, and made me aware of the situation. Said she couldn't justify sitting back and letting him keep you there."

"So Caine planned the whole thing? He even orchestrated that whole incident with Drake? I should've known. Ugh I'm such an idiot!" she cursed him under her breath.

Just then Edilio walked up. "Sam I need a word with you." when Sam didn't move, he jerked his thumb. "...over here." Sam got up and followed Edilio into the far corner of the room. From where she was laying, Tracey could only hear bits and pieces of their conversation.

"...that's terrible..." Sam was saying.

"...we've got to tell her." said Edilio.

"...can't... might put her into shock... to risky..."

"...no choice... what if it were you?..."

"...fine." Sam eventually agreed, and the two walk back over to her.

"What's going on?" She asked.

"Tracey, something terrible has happened, something horrible. Hunter is dead. I'm so sorry."

Trace had pain in her eyes. "No! He's not dead! He can't be dead! No! No I won't believe it!" She stood up and slapped Sam, hard, and looked like she was ready to slug him. "Don't say that! Don't you dare say that!"

Sam grabbed her fists to keep her from hitting anyone else. She was still incredibly weak from losing so much blood, but when he asked her to lie down, she refused. Since she was obviously not going to cooperate, Sam simply picked her up. She fought him, but he was much stronger. He sat down on the bed with her cradled in his arms and her head resting against his bare chest. (he hadn't had time to replace the shirt he used as a bandage, seeing as how he was by her side the entire time.)

A single tear ran down Tracey's cheek and it wasn't long before she had fallen back asleep, still in Sam's arms. Sam felt so bad for her. The pain she was feeling now was worse that anything Drake had inflicted.

Eventually Sam fell asleep too, still upright, and still holding Tracey.

"Hey Astrid!" Albert called. "Can you give this to Sam?" he handed her a list of business propositions. "I was hoping he could look them over, and you know, tell me what he thinks. Last I saw he was in the church with that girl Tracey, if you don't mind."

"Sure thing, Albert." Astrid answered. As she made her way up to the church, she couldn't help thinking about what Sam would be wanting with Tracey. She was a bit worried, as Tracey was very pretty. She tried to tell herself that Tracey probably just had a work related question to ask Sam. Astrid was definitely not expecting to find the two asleep, her in his arms


	7. Chapter 7

"Sam?" Astrid asked, loud enough to wake them up. "What are you doing?!"

Sam, startled, tried to explain. "Astrid, this isn't -"

"What it looks like?! Like hell it isn't! Just because I wouldn't freaking sleep with you, you've decided to get yourself a little whore that will?!"

"Astrid!" Sam yelled, clearly appalled.

"Hey who you callin' a whore?" Tracey asked, up in arms.

"Isn't it obvious?" Astrid said, one hand on her hip.

"Oh you do not want to go there with me!" Tracey threatened. "Cuz I will take. you. down."

Astrid contemplated making a snarky remark, but she knew that if fists started flying, Tracey would win. Instead, she just glared at the two of them, then stormed out.

Brianna was watching the whole scene unfold between Sam and Astrid. Astrid might have been a genius, but sometimes that girl could be so stupid!

Brianna ran up to Astrid and cut her off. "Hey. I know you think you know what you saw in there, but you're wrong. Sam and Tracey weren't sleeping together. I know they were sleeping, and they were together, but they weren't, you know..." she made a gesture with her hands.

"Sure they weren't." Astrid said, sarcastically.

"No, you don't understand! Hunter is dead!"

"I'm sorry to hear that...?" Astrid said, but it was clear she wasn't.

"Tracey and Hunter were in love! When he died, she almost fell apart. Sam was trying to comfort her. He wasn't cheating on you, he was being a good person! But you wouldn't listen. Astrid you are so lucky to have him! Do you know how many girls are jealous of you because of what you have with him. But you are going to lose Sam if you don't stop this, Astrid. You are GOING to lose him, if you haven't already." and with that The Breeze speed away.

In her heart, Astrid knew that Brianna was right. She had been so mean to Sam- she hadn't even let him explain. What kind of person does that? What kind of girlfriend was she?

Astrid sat down on a rock, and with her head in her hands, began to sob. How could she have been so wrong? Sam wasn't the type to cheat, but still, that was the conclusion she had jumped to. 'Why did I do that?' she asked herself. She racked her brain for an answer, but she already knew it. She was jealous. The thought only made her cry some more.

Astrid wasn't sure how long she stayed out there, but by the time she left the rock it was already getting dark. She wanted to make sure she had enough light, so she quickly set out on the familiar path towards home. When she got there, several Sammy Suns were hung, and in the light of the eerie green glow she saw Sam, packing things into a cardboard box.

"What are you doing?" she asked him.

"Astrid, I've got to go. I can't stay here, not with you. So I'm leaving."

Tears streaked down Astrid's face. "Sam, I am so sorry about what happened today. I made a mistake, a big one. But you have to admit, it looked pretty bad. What would you have done if you were me?"

"What would I have done?!" Sam was enraged. "First I would have asked you what was going on! Then I would have TRUSTED you to be honest with me! And I would have TRUSTED that you loved me enough not to cheat on me. I wouldn't have accused you because I TRUST you. But you don't trust me, Astrid, and that's the problem. I can't be in a relationship that lacks trust. So I'm leaving. Leaving this house, and leaving you."

Sam grabbed his box and stormed out. Astrid chased after him. "Sam, stop! Please! You're blowing this all way out of proportion!"

Sam stopped and turned around, with a look of disgust on his face. "No Astrid, I'm not. I really wish it wasn't this big a deal to me, but it is. And to be honest? This is only the straw that broke the Camel's back. I'm tired of the yelling, I'm tired of the nagging. I'm tired of you making a mistake then somehow blaming it on me, then expecting me to apologize! I'm tired of it when I make a tiny little mistake and you won't speak to me for days, but when you really mess things up, it's no big deal, how dare I get mad at you?! Astrid, I'm tired of it all! And I'm done! So goodbye, have a nice life,- without me."

Sam walked of into the night before Astrid could respond. He wasn't going to listen to her give some BS speech on how she was a perfect Angel and this was all really his fault. Not tonight. Tonight he was free.

**Sorry all Sastrid fans out there, but I really don't like Astrid. I think she is really mean to him and I think he deserves better. I tried not to offend anyone when I broke them up, I just wrote the truth as I saw it in the books**.


	8. Chapter 8

Since he left Astrid's house, Sam decided to stay with Edilio, who was more than happy. Sam was completely exhausted, and he barley even made it to the couch before he crashed.

Sam woke up feeling great. Edilio had already left for work, and Sam was alone in the house. It was a pretty small place, and Sam felt bad for crowding it. He would have to find his own place to stay, and soon.

He had nothing to do really, so Sam decided to check on Tracey. He set of on the path to the church, whistling as he went. When he arrived, he heard loud voices coming from within. He slowly opened the door and quietly walked in.

"I'm fine!" Tracey was saying. "See?" She stood up, wobbly at first, but was able to get her bearings rather quickly, and walk around. "I feel great, honest! Please I've got to get out of here, I need a change of scenery!" Tracey pleaded.

"Alright, fine." said the girl she was talking to. "You can go, but please be careful, and remember to get plenty of rest."

"I think I can manage that." Tracey said with a grin. She turned around. "Sam! Hey, did you hear? They're letting me out!"

He laughed. "yeah, I heard. Would you like me to walk you home?"

Tracey smiled. "I'd like that. I've been awful lonely lately. Not too mention I'm not completely... steady, if you will. At least now if I fall, I'll have someone to catch me."

"I can handle that." the two of them walked out, her hand on his shoulder, keeping her balanced.

"Hey Sam?" she asked, "Can you help me? Since I don't have all my strength back, I won't be able to shape shift. It takes a lot of energy, and it's pretty painful. In this state, I don't think I'll be able to manage it. So you see, if Caine comes for me, I will be completely vulnerable. I was hoping you might be able to find someone to stay with me, just in case something happens. We have 2 empty rooms, so that shouldn't be a problem. Can you ask someone?"

"Well actually," Sam said, "I've been looking for a place to stay, since Astrid and I broke up. I've been staying with Edilio, but he doesn't have the room for me, and-"

"-wait." Tracey interrupted. "Astrid broke up with you? Sam I'm so sorry. It's because of me, right? Because of what she thinks she saw between us? Oh crap this is all my fault. I... I can go talk to her, explain everything, I promise!"

"Actually no, I broke up with her."

Tracey was shocked. "What? Why?"

"It's a really long story, and not one I want to get into now."

"oh. I understand. So you'll be staying with me then?" Tracey tried to change the topic.

"I guess so."

"you could stay in either Luke or Matthew's room,-they're my two older brothers. Luke was 16 and Matthew was 21 so they both poofed with the adults. I recommend Matthew's room, it's much cleaner." She tried to smile, but the pain in her eyes was too strong. It was obvious how much she loved them.

"Tracey, I'm so sorry." Sam said, sincerely.

"Sorry. That's a word I've been hearing a lot lately. A little to much actually. Everything sucks!" she yelled. "and no amount of sympathy is ever going to help!" Sam seemed a bit frightened by her sudden outburst, and Trace felt bad. "I'm sorry, Sam, I shouldn't have- there it is again. Sorry."

"I know what you mean. That seems to be all I'm saying lately. But there's a lot in the FAYZ to be sorry for."

"I guess." Tracey said. "Here it is. Welcome to my humble abode." she pointed to the house at the end of a long driveway. It was big enough, but the house was small compared to the amount of land around it. The house sat on roughly 3 acres of land, most of it open field. The house itself was light blue, with pale yellow shutters and roof. In front of the house was a large apple tree, with a swing hanging down from one of the branches. To the side of the house was a horse pasture, where two horses roamed.

Tracey noticed Sam watching them. "The brown one is Boxer and the black one is Gypsy. She's mine, Gypsy. Boxer was my dad's. Since not many people in Perdido Beach have horses, I managed to get plenty of horse feed and supplies. I still have a lot. It's important to me that nothing bad happens to them. Come on, I'll show you around back."

Behind the house was more land. On that land were more apple trees, cherry trees, black cherry bushes and raspberry bushes. There was a garden, with carrots, lettuce, corn, and peppers growing in it. But the thing that got Sam's attention was the sparkling blue ocean that was just behind the field of her backyard.

"You didn't tell me you lived on the beach!" he exclaimed.

"Technically I don't," she said, matter-of-factly. "But yeah. I was waiting to see the look on your face. You surf right? You could probably use one of Luke's old boards, if you want."

"Really? That would be so amazing. This place is like Paradise!"

Trace smiled. "it really is. Why do you think I wanted to get back so bad? Well that was also due to the fact that I wanted to get back to Jacob. Since the tour of the outside is done, do you want to come in?"

"yeah sure." Sam said, still mesmerized by the ocean. The two of them walked back around to the front of the house and went inside.

"I'm homeeeeee!" Tracey called, the minute she walked in the door.

"Trace!" a small boy, about 5 or 6 years old ran up and jumped on Tracey. "I'm so glad you're home! Brianna was staying with me, but she wasn't as fun as you are. We were playing tag, but she didn't let me win like you do. And she ran reaaaaaally fast! Like really reaaaally fast!"

Trace laughed. "Did you have fun?"

He smiled. "yeah."

"Did you say thank you to Brianna?" Trace smiled at Brianna, who was making her way out, since she was no longer needed.

"Thaaank yooouuu." Jacob said in a singsongy voice. He turned to Sam and cocked his head. "Who are you?" he asked.

"I'm Sam."

"Are you going to live here too?"

"Yeah." Sam said with a smile.

"Yay!" Jacob looked excited. "What are we going to do first?" his eyes gleamed with anticipation.

"First we're going to let Sam get unpacked."

"Ooh Sam are you gonna stay with me in my room?! Cuz I have a bunk bed and you could sleep on the top bunk cuz I only sleep on the bottom bunk cuz I'm afraid of the spiders that might crawl around on the ceiling at night cuz one might fall on my face and bite me like it bite Tracey and when it bit Trace her whole forehead turned read and she looked really funny but I don't want to get bit by a spider cuz it turns out it won't actually turn you into spiderman and I love spiderman but batman is better cuz he has all those cool toys and he has-"

"-Jake." Tracey interrupted. "Take a deep breath. I think Sam is going to stay in either Luke or Matthew's room, okay?"

Jacob was crestfallen. "Okay." he slumped his shoulders and walked up the stairs, as slowly as he could.

Sam couldn't help but laugh. "he is quite the character. Cute though."

"Haha yeah." Tracey agreed. "Why don't you come up stairs with me. I think you will prefer Matthew's room. Since he was off at college it's cleaner, and his drawers are empty so you can out your clothes in there."

"Alright." they began to walk up the stairs. "Can I asked you something? How have you kept this place a secret?"

"Easy. I never drew attention to myself. I had a lot of friends in school, but I didn't do to much socializing during the FAYZ so everyone pretty much forgot about me, and I'm okay with that. The only people who had really visited this place since the poof were Hunter and Zill. Hunter would never do anything to hurt this place or me, and Zill was pretty afraid of me after he found out what I could do. I'm not sure how he mustered up the courage to do what he did to me the day...word about me spread."

"Oh." When they entered Matthew's room, Sam was hit with a sudden wave of exhaustion. "I better run and grab my stuff from Edilio's while it's still light out."

"Can't it wait until morning?" Trace asked.

"No, I need to let him no that I've found somewhere else to stay, otherwise he'll think something bad has happened. I'll be back soon."

About and hour or so later, Sam returned with his things. He said a goodnight to Tracey, who was sitting on the couch, walked up, and without even bothering to out his stuff away, he plopped down on the bed and fell fast asleep.

Sam woke up to the smell of vomit. He jumped out of bed and ran to the bathroom, where he found Tracey on the floor next to the toilet.

"Oh my gosh, are you okay? You're sick! Your cut didn't get infected, did it? You should have stayed longer. Come on, I'll help you get back to the church."

"Sam, my cut didn't get infected, I'm fine."

"Really? Cuz from where I'm standing, things don't look to fine."

"Believe me, I'm fine. It's just morning sickness."

Sam looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"I'm pregnant." she said. "Did I forget to mention that?


	9. Chapter 9

Sam stood there in silence, shock and disbelief clearly visible on his face.  
>"Hunter?"<p>

Tracey shook her head. "It wasn't like that. I'm not like that."

"Then who?" Sam asked in confusion.

Tracey stood up, but didn't look up from the ground. "It's not what you think-"

He interrupted her. "Who's the father?!"

Tracey looked him dead in the eyes. "You're gonna be an uncle."

It took Sam a moment to process what she had said. "An Uncle? Caine's the father? But why?"

Tracey filled him in on all the unpleasant details, what Caine wanted her for, and what he did. "So yes, the baby's his. And I'm afraid he's probably going to want it back."

"How far along are you?" Sam asked.

"I don't know." She replied. "But I haven't even got a baby bump yet, so I'm going to guess not more than a month."

"Wow" was all Sam could manage.

At that moment Jacob wandered into the bathroom, looking for Tracey.

"Traceeeeey I'm hungryyyyyyy. What's for breakfast?"

Tracey smiled and picked him up. "I was thinking... Pancakes."

Jake's eyes lit up, and he ran into the kitchen with Trace and Sam following in suit. Tracey reached into the cupboard, pulled out the pancake mix, and shook it. "There's not a whole lot left, but I think we've got enough. I'll start this, how about you and Sam go get some nice fresh fruits?"

"Sure!" Jake said, with great enthusiasm. He drag Sam out the front door to the garden. Tracey smiled to herself.

~

"How could you let her get away!" Caine was furious. He knew better than to yell at Drake, but his anger got the best of him.

Drake flicked his whip. "Well, _fearless leader_, while you were taking your little 'nap' on the floor, I was trying to stop her. Almost had them to, only a few moments away from ridding the world of that awful pest you call your brother. So close, and it felt so good. But before I could lash out, that chick Brianna got me with a tazer and I was out cold." Drake's eyes flashed with pure malevolence. Caine could see the evil written across Drake's face, and he knew that Drake was fantasizing about all the horrible things he would do to Brianna if he caught her. The thought made him shiver.

"We need to get her back."

~

It was twelve o'clock in the afternoon and the sun was beaming down on Perdido Beach. Edilio paced back and forth.

"This is a real problem Sam." Edilio shook his head. "Caine's going to come after her with everything he's got. We aren't ready for full out war." Sam had filled Edilio in on all the details with Tracey, and it made him nervous.

"If I could interject," Tracey began. "We do have something they don't."

"What's that?"

"Me." Tracey began to glow, and slowly a teenage girl was not standing before them, but something much, much larger. Something covered head to toe in large, hard, shiny scales, with great big leathery wings. Something that appeared to be, for lack of a better word, a dragon. Suddenly, with it's head pointed at the sky, the Dragon opened it's mouth and let out a fiery blast of flames. Edilio's jaw dropped. Another flash of light and Tracey was back before him as though nothing hade happened at all. Edilio was speechless.

Tracey smiled."I think we'll be alright."

She turned to leave, and Sam moved to go with her but Edilio grabbed his arm.

"It's not as easy as that. There has to be another way." Sam nodded that he understood, and jogged to catch up with Tracey.

When they arrived at the house, something was off, the door was open and the place was eerily quite; Jacob didn't run up to greet her like he usually did. They walked in the house to find Drake on the couch in the living room, smiling that crooked smile of his. Immediately Sam began to fire up his hands and Tracey began to glow.

"Relax. I'm not here to hurt you." He seemed disappointed at that.

"Where's Jacob?" Tracey asked, trying her best to be brave.

"The basement." Drake motioned his head. "Don't worry- he's fine. I come with as message from Caine." He turned to Tracey.

"You're safe. For now. Enjoy it. You've got nine months and then I'm coming for you. And all hell is coming with me."


End file.
